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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rest — a break
  4. drill — army training
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. spring — the season
  11. drill — a practice
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. rush — hurry
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. spring — of water
  16. cold — an illness
  17. ball — a dance
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. cold — not warm
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com